Head Color

Still luving and coveting these Bec & Bridge wide brimmed fedoras. Now Maison Michel is courting my game, too, with the lovely salmon toppers pictured below. #ineedabiggerhatbudget

DIY- Crushed Velvet Curtains...

So, this isn't a very complicated DIY- but it can potentially save a gal some money. A set of these bad boys will run you $140. When I figure in the 50% off coupon that I got online from JoAnn Fabrics, my two curtains cost around $7.50. I consider this a win.

So, instead of tromping down to Urban Outfitters like everybody else, I would suggest that you have the kind lady at JoAnn cut the combined length of your two curtains plus 6 extra inches. When you get home, lay the fabric out on the floor and fold it in half. Make the cut. The good news is that this is a knit fabric, so you don't have to worry about any pesky hems.

Once your machine is threaded, lay the material right side down on the floor. Fold 3 inches of fabric over and pin it. Sew a straight stitch 5/8" from the raw edge creating a tunnel at the top of the panel.

Next, hang it in your luvly little room. Repeat... and voila! Easy, cozy curtains in a snap:)

We Found Luv in a Hopeless Place

OBSESSED with this song and the video. It kind of makes me uncomfortable to watch it... like when the pupils dilate my stomach kind of drops, but that is just another way it is brilliant. Think about what it would be like if "Requiem for a Dream" was a techno-licious good time? Coldplay does a great cover of this song, too (for all of the muso snobs out there who think artists must play instruments).

I know I'm a rootsy artist/writer, blah, blah, blah, but I love a good chorus repeated like 17,000 times over a dance beat. If you don't, you need to reexamine your stance in life:)

Vanessa Mooney Sample Sale... Holla!!!!

Major scores at the VM sample sale which went down at Dari in Studio City. I am in tribal bracelet heaven right now and drowning in a delicate beaded earring haze. I'm on the lookout for more of these heavenly deals between now and Xmas... I want to score the Aztec Breastplate for less than the price at Shopbop.

Stoked!!!

Veteran's Day- A Look Back at the Iraq/Afghanistan Tour of 2006

It's hard to put into words the level of sacrifice that these folks make on an everyday basis... especially during a 15-18 month deployment in places like Ramadi and the Korengal Valley. I truly still think of all of the amazing, selfless people I met during the USO tours I was so fortunate to be a part of in 2005 and 2006. My time there not only carved out a canyon of compassion for the soldiers and their families- it also blew an Afghanistan-shaped hole in my heart (more about that later).

Its up to us to make sure we serve these men and women by protecting their veteran benefits and demanding that the VA receives ample funding for programs like Boots to Books, etc. Be informed and take care of the ones who take care of us. Hooah.

Walking through the Green Zone in Baghdad w/ my bodyguard Neo


Sweet Snipers in Mosul, Iraq


Jon, one of the guides assigned to us in Bagram, Afghanistan


Female warrant officer... pretty badass. Also, Leeann Tweeden (badass, too)


Saddam's throne at his hunting lodge in Baghdad with Leeann Tweeden


On stage at Camp Liberty in Iraq


Blackhawks fly in pairs... our date is over my shoulder

LUVing the classics for fall...

Denim and worn out Vans... cozy cotton yarn sweaters and big, natural hair... leather pants worn in a clearly un-"I used to be a part of the Sunset Strip scene" way. This is a smidgen of what I'm digging for the fall. Also, my new favorite in the "Bands Formed after 2000" category is The Horrible Crowes (atleast until Gaslight releases another album). Check out their flick for "Behold the Hurricane" below. There's an overall prettiness to the ugliness of the shots.

ps- I know I've been gone for a while... but I'm back, my luvs. Now go drink a pumpkin spice chai latte and read this. Being informed about your country and the policies that affect us all is the hottest attribute any luv-er can exhibit. Feel yourself getting smarter!

Excited for Fall? Wow.

There does not exist a plethora of things that get me especially excited about the end of summer.  Luckily, in southern California, the turning of seasons doesn't happen until atleast October.  All of that being said, I had completely stopped paying attention to the surf brands I used to live in during my early twenties.  Well, that ends now... there are definitely several pieces in my "needtohave" file!  Check it out:)

Turband- LUV it for the summer!!!

Geri from Because I'm Addicted is sort of a genius.  She is far enough ahead that you want to follow her, but not too far out to register unrelatable.  Of course, all I really know of her are her awesome tips and videos like this one... I just did the Moroccan Princess on myself.  With the civil unrest in northern Africa, it doesn't look as though this is going to be the year for my fabulous retreat to Marrakesh or Tangier- but if I use argan oil and tie up a turband I feel like I'm halfway there, right?


How To Tie A Turband 3 Ways from LEAFtv on Vimeo.

MET- These two seem to be having more fun with this...

So the Met Ball is the Oscars of fashion, blah, blah, blah... most of the stuff this year looked overwrought and serious like Jennifer Lopez's ferocious posing face (seriously folks, she has to stop doing that...).  But Isabel and Blake seemed to actually be having fun with it.  In LV and Chanel respectively, they channeled the anti-Royal wedding vibe of FUN.  I luv it.

Ummm. Coral. Lips. Yes

Orange pigment in the vicinity of my face usually doesn't excite me.  It usually makes me think of Clinique self tanner gone wrong in the 8th grade.  Coral lipstick, however, is orange's mellower, cooler cousin who is visiting for the summer.  Take her out for a spin... she's wild but seems like she might know a little about art, too.

Bigger, Brighter- a tune for our LUVlies today!

My friend from forever ago, Steven Jackson, pooled his talents with Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Eric Heywood (Ray LaMontagne), Sean Hurley (John Mayer band), Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter), Rob Seals & more and released this under the name "Brighter Things".  It's surprising, soothing, and visually stunning.  Enjoy your Friday!



BRIGHTER THINGS: Bigger, Brighter (Official Video) from Brighter Things on Vimeo.

Outfits I Luved- Coachella

Here are four of my favorites.  Kate Bosworth's shoes are the cutest things that have ever happened in the history of the world... I think they are Isabel Marant? Obvi I'm dying over stripes right now.  The lace dress is Free People from a few seasons ago...

I find this to be brilliant.

Newspaper article + permanant marker = Newspaper Blackout Poem.  Artist Austin Kleon has made a living out of doing the most ingenious thing- taking words OUT of the equation.  I stumbled upon his work when a friend posted this nifty article on art and theft on her Facebook profile.  I soon found myself lost in his simple, honest projects.  The guy has spun this into a book deal and flourishing retail site, so I'm down for taking notes!  Power to the people.

Johnny Was- a New Luv in Santa Monica

As I was walking through the new Santa Monica Place shopping center the other day, talking myself out of going in to the poorhouse for the sake of Jeffrey Campbell shoes at Nordstrom, I happened upon a new store- Johnny Was.  I was floored by the delicate prettiness of their stuff.  They also have great bags (that are reminiscent of Alexander Wang in spirit without stomping into dreaded knock-off territory) in vivid colors that are not up on the site yet.  Really, really soft leather... I'm left in a moral quandary as to whether I should save up for one of these bad boys or go vegan-style with Matt & Nat.  Either way, I'm in luv with the last thing I needed- another favorite store!

Bec & Bridge = another reason why I luv Australia

It's no secret that I perpetually die over Australian lines (It's no accident that I work with Stylestalker and Insight- two of the baddest AU lines in the biz...) Right now I am finding Bec & Bridge's stuff not only adorable and original, but also supremely wearable. It's still mostly available to those lucky Aussie's (what? they get Bondi Beach AND this?) but your best bet stateside is online at Shopbop.

Luv Samantha French... And not just because her last name is French

Samantha French's art has come across my screen 3 different time in the last week. I'm about ready to have it on my office wall... I am captivated by the gentle motion she captures so effortlessly. Amazing. Samantha French, get it here, Poppytalk

My favorite line from Kanye's record /slash/ Nicki Minaj is adorable

Image found here

Paris Fashion Week courtesy of Harp's

Shev and I are dying over some of these looks from Paris FW (via Bazaar).  It's so crazy that the most inspiring stuff is now often found on the sidewalks before and after the shows.  Prendre plaisir!

I would luv to know what Clemence Poesy is photographing...

and it turns out I can!  And Alexa Chung, Alison Mosshart, Tennessee Thomas, & Jenny Lewis, too.  Of course the photos are like little megapixel works of indie chic.  You can see the entire bank of them at Lula Magazine's Scrapbook.  Plus, it is a good reminder to occasionally check out Jessica Williams' paintings here.